Ted O.

My name is Ted –I am a professional bassist, educator, and composer currently pursuing an M.M. in Jazz Arts at the Manhattan School of Music, and I have spent the past several years working as a teaching artist and adjunct faculty member in both higher education and community music school settings. My performing and teaching background covers electric and upright bass in a broad range of styles including: jazz, classical music, pop, rock, R&B, and musical theater. I’m comfortable working with students across these styles, and aim to instill curiosity that spans genre distinctions, reflecting the collaborative and hybrid nature of much of today’s most compelling music-making. I also supported students through audition processes, and college research and applications. Several of my students went on to enter collegiate music programs and receive scholarships, and I was glad to serve as a consistent presence in their musical lives over years, not months. I’m also a composer, with over sixty original works and three released albums across jazz, chamber, and crossover projects. When students show interest in writing their own music, I encourage that work and offer feedback, compositional prompts, and ensemble workshops, Students might bring in notation, demo recordings, or DAW sessions whatever sandbox feels most comfortable to them and we use those materials as the basis for shared creative exploration and refinement. I remain active as a performer, and have performed at venues like Birdland and Bar Bayeux in New York and worked with nationally-recognized artists including Dayna Stephens, Javier Santiago, Terreon Gully, and Dave King. This real-world experience helps shape how I talk to students about rehearsing, collaboration, professional musical standards, and it provides insight into the rich and expansive world that an artistic education unlocks.